Amulets in Ancient Egypt were both decorative and practical, as they were considered as having apotropaic powers to protect or bestow power upon the wearer. Not only worn by the living, amulets have been found inside the wrappings of mummies, as they were used to prepare the deceased for the afterlife. Amulets held different meanings, … Read more
Animal motifs appear in Roman art because of the important associations and meanings those animals carried. For some animals, such as lions and eagles, the connotations are fairly transparent, either because we still share them today or because such associations were so famous and widespread that they have not been forgotten; others, however, are far … Read more
Mesopotamian Traditions and Roman Craftmanship Intaglios – carved gemstones – usually mounted in rings, were a popular style of Roman jewellery for their aesthetic and practical uses. The technique was established well before the Roman period, most likely in Ancient Mesopotamia. Drill cutting techniques established by the Greeks, allowed the Romans to create intricate intaglio … Read more
Companionship and Service Grave goods in the shape of human figures, made from materials such as wood and terracotta, have a long history in Chinese culture. By the time of the so-called First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, founder of the Qin dynasty, whose terracotta army is widely known as the most impressive example of terracotta … Read more
Textiles in Antiquity Compared with their counterparts in ceramics and metal, textiles from the ancient world are often hard to come by. The conditions required to preserve textiles are often very specific; amongst the few parts of the world that meet the requirements is Egypt. A hotspot of archaeological interest, Egypt’s hot, dry climate is … Read more
Tibetan Buddhist Art Tibet has been a central hub of Buddhist belief and practise since the 8th century AD, when it became the formal state religion. As a means of supporting worship, many Buddhist communities have long produced impressive and beautiful works of art. One such branch of Tibetan Buddhist art is the production of … Read more
Early Spirals Spiral patterns, although associated now with the Celtic people, have in one form or another, been used in the art of many cultures worldwide. Appearing on rock art in Britain and Ireland as far back as the Neolithic period, spirals appear to have held important, though now forgotten, meaning with some of the … Read more
Amulets in Ancient Egypt were both decorative and practical, as they were considered as having apotropaic powers to protect or bestow power upon the wearer. Not only worn by the living, amulets have been found inside the wrappings of mummies, as they were used to prepare the deceased for the afterlife. Amulets held different meanings, … Read more
A Brief History of Hieroglyphs We owe the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs to the French scholar and founding figure of Egyptology, Jean-François Champollion, and his decoding of the Rosetta stone, in the 1820s. Featuring both hieroglyphs and demotic (as well as Greek), the stone depicts two stages in Egypt’s written and spoken history. The Ancient … Read more
Votive offerings were gifts that the ancient Greeks and Romans gave to a deity as thanks for bringing good fortune or for granting favours. The offerings served as an important expression of the personal relationship between ancient peoples and their gods and goddesses. Votive Offerings as a Public Act of Devotion Greeks and Romans typically … Read more
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